Data Center NDAs Ban
Our resolution, co-sponsored with Councilor Mitch Green, to ban NDAs for data centers is coming to the Housing and Permitting Committee on Tuesday, September 1. We need folks to come in (or write in) to testify your support! The resolution requests that the City Administrator and all City leadership refrain from signing non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) related to data center development, and ensure that all decisions affecting Portlanders — from siting and permitting to utility rates and public engagement — happen in the open. You can provide verbal or written testimony to the Portland City Council by registering online through the official council agenda, calling 311, or signing up in person at City Hall before specific agenda items are heard. No more secret deals or NDAs!
Renaming Cesar E Chávez
Many of you have written to me about the proposal to rename Cesar E. Chávez Blvd to Campesinos Blvd. I want to be transparent about where I've landed at this point, and why.
I understand that some residents want to revert to 39th Avenue for navigation purposes, consistency, expense, and to avoid renaming the street again in the future. I heard you. I see your points. They are strong ones.
But at a time when our Latino neighbors are being targeted, abducted, and tortured in federal detention camps for doing literally nothing wrong, when Latino community members and allies are being murdered in the streets, listening to advocates for changing the name to Campesinos feels like a declaration of support, acknowledgement, and respect. The original renaming process demanded years of sustained effort from Latino leaders, under difficult conditions with disproportionate barriers. Going back to "39th Avenue" feels like a painful form of erasure to the communities who fought so hard over years – and endured a lot of hostility – to originally change the name from 39th to Cesar E. Chávez. My decision takes that history into account and honors it. This moment’s renaming has also been a strong community-led effort with many respected voices advocating for the name Campesinos Blvd. It pays respect to the countless collective contributions of farmworkers, immigrants, and families who are an essential – and beloved – part of our communities, here in Portland and in our state. While the change will be costly, I cannot imagine how there will be another change beyond Campesinos Blvd, as this is about a collective community and not a singular, fallible human. For a partial list of supporters of this measure, check out my Instagram post.
Council’s first reading of Councilor Smith’s ordinance, which I am co-sponsoring, is Wednesday, September 2. You can provide verbal or written testimony to the Portland City Council by registering online through the official council agenda, calling 311, or signing up in person at City Hall before specific agenda items are heard. Thank you to the many people who have shared their perspectives with me; I am grateful for your engagement.
Keeping Kids Housed During the School Year
This week, I submitted an ordinance to expand the City's Renter Relocation Assistance program so that families with school-age kids get a bigger relocation payout if they're evicted with no cause during the school year. This can improve their chances of finding a new place in the same area so students can stay at their school with their teacher and classmates. Getting evicted mid-school-year often means students must deal not only with the difficulty of finding and adjusting to a new home, but also switching schools, which research links to all sorts of negative impacts such as lower test scores and higher dropout risk. I have seen firsthand the kind of devastating effects moving and housing loss has on children in school, and I’m thankful to be in a position to do something about it! I’ll keep you posted! Read the press release HERE.
 Backpack Giveaway
Happy back to school week to all teachers and students! On Monday, my team and I went to Vestal, Atkinson, Marysville, Whitman, Arleta, Grout, and Buckman schools for a fun back-to-school distribution. IRCO, SUN, and school programs were excited to get these backpacks, filled with great supplies by three student volunteers from Leodis V. McDaniel High School. We also delivered backpacks to Rose Haven day shelter and community center, which serves women, children and gender non-conforming folks. We were glad to be able to drop off 30 backpacks for kids experiencing the trauma of abuse, loss of home and other disruptive life challenges.
Every student should start the school year knowing the community cares and that they will be given tools for success! It was great to feel the current of new year excitement, in buildings with bright bulletin boards, freshly waxed floors, and smiling faces. A huge thank you to Alisha Chavez (the new Portland Association of Teachers president) for helping make deliveries on Monday! Schools and teachers need support year-round, and checking in with and supplying your local school feels amazing. Please support your local teachers and staff!
Help Boost My Newsletter
I have always loved sending out a Friday newsletter since I was in the classroom. I know I have casual readers out there, but I also know that I have newsletter devotees who rely on my weekly updates for news snippets, resources, and events. I love delivering this information to your inbox every week, and I’d love your help in getting some new subscribers! If you like my newsletter, can you forward this to your friends, family, and neighbors? They can sign up HERE or through my Council landing page!
 Hello District 3 and beyond!
I’m Randal Wyatt, the founder and Executive Director of Taking Ownership, a community-based nonprofit doing hands-on work for Black homeowners across the Portland metro area. We show up for repairs, renovations, maintenance, retrofitting, and advocacy to keep our community rooted in the neighborhoods we've built, grow generational wealth, and make sure our homes are safe and healthy places to live.
This work matters because the deck has been stacked against us for a long time. Common practices like redlining, predatory mortgage lending, gentrification, and urban renewal have made it disproportionately harder for Black families to keep their homes and build wealth for the next generation. We exist to push back against that history, one home at a time. We're proud that our impact has even been recognized at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, at the Lorraine Hotel, the site of Dr. King's assassination.
Recently, we saved a home from foreclosure by pulling together mortgage assistance through our network of partners. A couple years ago, we renovated a kitchen after a fire had left the house unlivable for a year, and today, that family is safely back home. Right now, we're focused on urgent repairs: active leaks, holes letting in water or pests, hazardous conditions, and homeowners facing dire financial straits.
We also want to share something important with our neighbors: If you're worried about a Black or Brown neighbor's home looking a little rough around the edges, please don't call the City. Code enforcement often means liens and fines, which only push struggling homeowners deeper into financial trouble, make the problems worse, and can lead to displacement and home-loss. Instead, talk to your neighbor. See what they actually need. Or reach out to us or another local housing community-based organization to help connect them to real resources.
Want to support our work in person? Join us for our 2nd Annual House Party, a community fundraiser concert for our Emergent Needs program, on Saturday, September 19th, 5 to 10pm at The Redd on Salmon. Expect food, drinks, vendors, a resource center, a BIPOC small business market, a kids' area with a bouncy house, a silent auction, and a paddle raise. Learn more and get your tickets HERE.
Wallie the Octopus Painting
As part of the Better Center project to improve Center Street, a key route through Foster-Powell, the Wallie the Octopus intersection at SE 67th and Center St. will be repainted from 10 am to 6 pm Saturday and possibly Sunday, August 29 and 30. You can learn more about this and other related projects HERE.
 Constituent Events
My favorite part of this job is getting to meet with you, members in the D3 community, and hearing what concerns and joys are top of mind for you. It helps me bring your voices into City Hall, shape policy, and reflect the wider community in the actions we as city legislators take. In other words: come talk to me! Upcoming events include a community discussion and storytime from 1 to 2:30 pm Sunday, September 20 at the newly-remodeled Belmont Library, and an Oregon Walks Walk with an Elected event noon to 1 pm Friday, September 25 at Laurelhurst Park. Mark your calendars; I hope to see you there!
GLEAN Program
Artists in greater Portland can apply for a paid residency to turn garbage into art through the GLEAN program. Each of five selected artists will receive a $3,000 stipend and will have five months to gather materials from the Metro Central Transfer Station and create art for an exhibition next spring. To learn more and apply by the Sept. 13 visit the GLEAN website.
BPS Planning Commission Positions
The Bureau of Planning and Sustainability’s Planning Commission is seeking five community members who are enthusiastic about long-range planning issues and urban solutions to fill volunteer positions opening next year. Learn more and apply by Monday, Sept. 14.
|
